This invention relates to an end cap for installation on rods of different diameters, such as in shelving systems having different sizes of shelves.
Metal shelving is made up of rods welded together. End caps are used to cover the ends of the rods. A shelving system includes different shelves of different sizes and the rods used to form the different shelves are likewise of different diameters. It has been customary to cover these rod ends with end caps. These end caps are plastic caps, each having a cylindrical side wall and a closed end with the other end open. The inside diameter of side wall is gauged to the size of a rod, and to accommodate the different sizes of rods different sizes of end caps have been required. As a result, a supplier of shelving systems must keep an inventory of different sizes of end caps corresponding to the different shelve sizes.
The present invention avoids the defects of the prior art by providing an end cap design that accommodates rods of different diameters. As a result, only one size and configuration of end cap need be retained in inventory. In addition, the design of this end cap makes its installation easier than end caps of the prior art.
In summary, this invention comprises an end cap that has an annular side wall extending between a closed end and an open end. The end cap is molded of a pliable resilient plastic. The annular side wall has a tapered section and a substantially cylindrical section. The cylindrical section is adjacent the open end and the tapered section extends from the cylindrical section to the closed end. The tapered section gradually decreases in diameter toward the closed end.
The end cap accommodates rods of different diameters. Because of the substantially cylindrical section, introduction of even the largest diameter rods is relatively easy because the resistance of the tapered section is not met until the cap is fully started onto the rod. Because the side wall of the end cap has different diameters, it can accommodate rods of different diameters and the end cap will remain in place on all of the different rods.